On the Extinction of the Venetian Republic

By William Wordsworth

1770-1850

ONCE did she hold the gorgeous East in fee;
         And was the safeguard of the West: the worth
         Of Venice did not fall below her birth,
Venice, the eldest Child of Liberty.
She was a maiden City, bright and free;
         No guile seduced, no force could violate;
         And, when she took unto herself a mate,
She must espouse the everlasting Sea.
And what if she had seen those glories fade,
         Those titles vanish, and that strength decay;
Yet shall some tribute of regret be paid
         When her long life hath reach'd its final day:
Men are we, and must grieve when even the Shade
         Of that which once was great is pass'd away.

DayPoems Poem No. 474
<a href="http://www.daypoems.net/poems/474.html">On the Extinction of the Venetian Republic by William Wordsworth</a>

The DayPoems Poetry Collection, www.daypoems.net
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